New Orleans is famous for its Audubon Zoo, but have you ever heard of the Global Wildlife Center? It is the largest free-roam wildlife preserve in the country and is located about 50 miles north of New Orleans in Folsom, LA. It is different from the zoo because all of the species are intermingled rather than separated. The Global Wildlife Center seeks to create the most natural environment possible for endangered wildlife.

My family and I tried to go for Father’s Day, but unfortunately, the weather had other plans. If you wish to plan a trip with your family, make sure the weather is clear! A few weeks later, we rescheduled our tour on a beautiful Sunday morning. We decided to go on the private tour because we wanted a more intimate family experience. There is also an option for a public tour, where you and your family are in a larger vehicle with other groups. Both tours allow the riders to feed and touch the animals. However, the private tour, since it is a smaller vehicle, can get you closer to see certain animals that don’t approach the larger vehicles.

We climbed aboard our “Jurassic Park” style Jeep to start our adventure. Right away, I knew this was going to be a fun experience. The animals flocked to our vehicle all patiently waiting for a handful of food to be offered to them. They were all very gentle creatures. However, some were a tad more aggressive and would just take the cup full of food rather than waiting for you to offer it to them. Our tour guide did warn us about which animal was the “professional cup stealer.” It doesn’t get old. It’s funny every time!

My favorite animal at the Global Wildlife Center is the giraffe. My day was made when I got up close and personal with one of these gentle giants!

As we drove from location to location to see different animals, the emus looked just like raptors as they ran behind the Jeep. *Cue Jurassic Park music*

Our tour guide did introduce us to the animals and told us many their names. Some that stick out in my mind are Carrot Top the llama, Elsa the giraffe, Patch the enormous angus cow, and (my personal favorite) Barack O’llama.

It was baby season! That’s right. If you want to see some adorable baby giraffes, emus, deer and zebras, then July is a good month to go. You’ll get to see the deer daycare tree, where mama deer drop off their young to be babysat and nursed by a nanny deer for the day.

Overall, our day at the Global Wildlife Center was full of smiles, laughs and good quality time. All you need is your loved ones, a beautiful day, some cold water and some animal food that you can purchase at the site. Be prepared for some animals sticking their heads in your vehicle, stealing cups full of food and tickling your hand as they eat. It is definitely a hands-on educational experience that the kids will love. A day at Global Wildlife will leave you with great memories to share.